Hope you’ve had some time to think about these ancient Roman poets and authors. It’s now time to figure out what these quotes mean and who said them.

(1) “Orandum est ut sit mens sana in corpore sano” is by the satirist Juvenal. It means “It is to be prayed that the mind be sound in a sound body”. This quote is from a satire where Juvenal expressed that the only prayer that is a worthwhile prayer is one that asks for a healthy body and mind. Juvenal felt that prayers asking the gods for wealth or fame were trivial and foolish requests. Over time, Juvenal’s quote has been misused by people such as John Locke, who used this quote for his thoughts on education.

(2) “Omnia vincit amor; et nos cedamus amori” is from the poet Virgil. It means “Love conquers all; so let us yield to love”.  This quote is from Virgil’s Eclogues, Book X line 69. The Eclogues is one of out Virgil’s three major works of poetry, but the reputation of the Aeneid has outshined Virgil’s earlier works. How many times have you heard the phrase “love conquers all”? Now you can look erudite by reciting this quote in Latin!

(3) “Per caputque pedesque” is from Catallus. It means “head over heels”. This quote is actually a part of a longer quote that goes like this: “ire praecipitem in lutum per caputque pedesque” which means “head over heels into the mud”. Nowadays when you hear the phrase “head over heels”, it’s used with the phrase “head over heels in love”, which refers to the way in which someone can become frantically smitten with another person. This quote is a perfect example of how ancient Roman poetry has influenced the way idioms are used in the English language!

(4)“Sera nimis vita est crastina. Vive hodie” is from Epigrammata, which is a book written by Martial and composed of twelve short poems. The translation of this quote is “tomorrow’s life is too late. Live today”.  In other words it basically means that you never know what will happen in the future, so don’t wait to do something because you may never get the chance to do it.

(5) “Homo sum: humani nil a me alienum puto” is by the playwright Terentius, or better known as Terence. The quote by Terence can be translated as “I am a man, I consider nothing that is human alien to me”. I think this quote is better understood in context. This quote is from the play Heauton Timorumenos, which means “The Self Tormentor”. Upon being told to mind his own business, one of the characters of Heauton Timorumenos uses this quote in response. To put it another way, this quote can be understood as saying “I am a human being: I regard nothing of human concern as foreign to my interests”. Better yet, it means, “This is something that relates to me as well” or “This is my business too”.

(6) “Fas est et ab hoste doceri” is by Ovid and it literally means, “It is right to be taught even by an enemy.” In simpler terms it means that we can learn something from our enemies”. This quote is from the book Metamorphoses.

(7) “Exegi monumentum aere perennius” is by the poet Horace. You probably expected some “carpe diem” quote by Horace, but that would’ve been too easy, so I chose a different quote instead. “Exegi monumentum aere perennius” means “I have raised a monument more permanent than bronze. This line was part of a closing poem in a book of poems called Carmina (Odes). Basically Horace is bragging about how his poetry is so great it will immortalize his legacy far more than any statue or monument of a famous leader.

(8) “Semper in absentes felicior aestus amantes” is by Properitus. It literally means, “Passion is always warmer towards absent lovers”, which in modern terms means, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder”.

(9) “Omnis cum in tenebris praesertim vita laboret” is by Lucretius. Lucretius is not as well known as the other Latin poets and writers, but his work entitled, “On the Nature of Things” (De Rerum Natura) is considered a masterpiece by scholars. “On the Nature of Things” is a epic poem about Epicurean philosophy. One of the more famous quotes from this body of work is “Omnis cum in tenebris praesertim vita laboret”, which means “Life is one long struggle in the dark”.